Archive for the 'Siberian Husky' Category

Before talking about Siberian Husky training, we need to know about history, characteristics and temperament of Siberian Husky. The Siberian Husky (Russian: Sibirskiy haski, “Siberian husky”) is a medium-size, wolf-like, dense-coat working dog breed that originated in eastern Siberia in Russia. Siberian Husky are an active, energetic, and resilient breed whose ancestors came from the extremely cold and harsh environment of the Siberian Arctic. Siberian Husky was bred by the Chukchi of Northeastern Asia to pull heavy loads long distances through difficult conditions. Siberian Husky was imported into Alaska during the Nome Gold Rush and later spread into the United States and Canada. Siberian Husky was initially sent to Alaska and Canada as sled dogs but rapidly acquired the status of family pets and show dogs.

History of Siberian Husky

The term Siberian husky can etymologically be described as follows: “Siberian” from their land of origination: Siberian, and “husky” from the term used to describe the Inuit tribes who lived there). The Siberian husky, along with two other breeds (Alaskan Malamute and Samoyed) all descended from the Eskimo dog, which is among the oldest breed of dogs. Specifically, the Chikchi people in the Siberian Arctic were the people who bred the dogs, revering them almost religiously, and relying on them heavily for transportation. Due to the harsh, cold climate of the area, Siberian huskies became a very resilient and active breed. It wasn’t until 1909 when they spread into Alaska during the Gold Rush, as sled dogs (such as in today’s iditarod sled dog races).

Physical Characteristics of Siberian Husky

Siberian Husky is a medium-sized “working” dog, originating in eastern Siberia. Siberian Husky has two coats of fur, which was adaptively advantageous since Siberian Husky originally inhabited a very cold climate. Interestingly enough though, this coat doesn’t just serve them will in cold weather, but in any severe temperature fluctuation; therefore, the coat can serve Siberian Husky will in hot weather too! Although Siberian huskies do shed mass quantities of fur, overall they are very clean and hygienic dogs, seldom requiring bathing. However, this can make it difficult for them to stay cool during the summer. Their typical lifespan is 12 to 15 years. They typically weight between 35 and 60 pounds.

Siberian Husky Temperament and Training

For more information about Siberian Husky, please go to AKC Siberian Husky. Here are some information about Siberian Husky Temperament and Training.

A particular trait that most do not realize when training a Siberian Husky is relevant here. As a sled dog, they need to be trained by a strong-willed, confident, and firm owner, capable of showing them who is in control and keeping them out of trouble. If the Siberian Husky feels that the owner is not like this, it will result in obedience issues.

As briefly stated above, it is Siberian Husky’s temperament and behavior that makes Siberian Husky most unique. One of the delightful qualities of the Siberian Husky are how gentle and friendly, both to strangers and to other dogs, and how devoted Siberian Husky is to a good owner. Siberian Husky easily adapt, and Siberian Husky is alert but not aggressive. (Again, this is the result of how Siberian Huskies were conditioned in the past: the Chikchi people showered their dogs with praise, and encouraged them to play with their children.)

This overt amiability causes Siberian husky to serve as poor watch dogs; Siberian Husky would be too casual with a potential intruder, and Siberian Husky also bark very little. In relation to barking, Siberian Husky more often ululate (comparable to a wolf howling) instead of barking.

But at the same time, Siberian Huskies are very intelligent and independent dogs. As a result, you, as the owner, need to establish yourself as the “alpha dog” so that the Siberian husky will come to respect and look up to you, but all without bullying the Siberian Husky, which can be detrimental to your dog’s well-being. Therefore, serious training and patience is a necessity, which is preferably to be started when the Siberian Husky is young.

Other important things to realize is that Siberian husky should never be give complete freedom. The thing that they love most to do in life is run free, and they will end up running away if you let them just be out in the open, unenclosed space. You must also keep in mind that Siberian Husky needs a lot of exercise to vent their energy, preferably an hour a day.

Another issue is that Siberian Husky will end up chasing other animals instinctively, so again, training Siberian Husky is very important. Therefore it is imperative that obedience training be done in order to teach your Siberian husky to resist in instinctive impulse.

Methods to Help with Siberian Husky Training

Since Siberian husky is a very clever and intelligent breed, typical training methods do not work. For much more extensive and comprehensive information on how to most effective and quickly train your Siberian husky, the best resource available is the Siberian Husky Training Tips guide.

There are a few quick and easy rules to keep in mind during training Siberian Husky puppies. Siberian Huskies are focused around imprinting on your Siberian Husky’s mind that you are the “alpha dog,” in order to effectively gain his respect.

Prove to your Siberian Husky that you are a confident and dependent leader for him, one who he can count upon.

When disciplining your Siberian Husky, ensure that you make direct eye contact for it to be most effective, and make sure that your Siberian Husky is aware for what he is being punished.

When issuing orders, be sure to say your Siberian Husky’s name before the command (so that Siberian Husky will learn his name).

There are a lot of other things to consider, but these rules are just a few of the major ones to keep in mind when starting out training your Siberian Husky.

Siberian Husky has potential to be a very good house pet, however, its owner requires a great deal of patience for this to be possible. Siberian Husky training and exercising entails a generous amount of time, because these dogs do have a mind of their own, and owners have to find creative ways to get their points across. A Siberian Husky will seldom bark, however it is known to be a very vocal creature, in its special way. Sometimes it might sing along a siren, and other times it will howl like there’s no tomorrow just because you’ve asked your Siberian Husky to sit during a training session.

Do not be fooled into thinking your Siberian Husky doesn’t know what you’re asking it to do; chances are your Siberian Husky knows very well, but your Siberian Husky will still complain while doing only half of what you’ve asked it to. If sometimes you ask your Siberian Husky to perform a task too harshly, he will have a lot to tell you about that. When I was training our Siberian Huskies, I had to listen to a couple of complaints and speeches from them. If such public display of discontentment embarrasses you, you might not want to own a Siberian Husky, if you don’t think you can handle training a Siberian Husky.

A Siberian Husky bonds easily to human companions, but like the majority of northern breeds, Siberian Husky does not like to shower its owner mindlessly with affection. The Siberian Husky itself is friendly with pretty much everyone. Some Siberian Huskies are shy and avoid people they do not know; their nature makes them unsuitable as guarding dogs. Siberian Huskies are not very successful in obedience contests, especially at higher levels, because they get bored very fast with repetition in training, and they also lack precision in their work.

This does not mean Siberian Huskies never like to do as Siberian Huskies are told, when you’re trying to train them, they just like do things on their own terms. A Siberian Husky has a pretty short attention span; Siberian Husky will probably perform a command ‘almost right’, and come back to its owner when called only when there’s not something else more interesting to captivate its attention (like a wandering cat, or a playful squirrel). This is the reason why a Siberian Husky owner has to be very dedicated and patient with his pet if he wants to obtain consistent and good results or more.

Unfortunately, a Siberian Husky dog does have some bad habits which can drive an owner crazy, whether Siberian Husky expects such things to happen or not. Siberian Huskies enjoy exercising and are very curious. This combination makes them prone to running away, wandering, because it is “ingrained” in their DNA. It is hard to trust a Siberian Husky dog off-leash, and it is also time consuming to always keep an eye on what it is doing. This dog is very intelligent and quite creative at finding ways to escape from your backyard. Not only this, but it is also a very good jumper and digger.

Siberian Husky ancestors used to dig nests in the snow to sleep in, and today’s Siberian Huskies still possess this instinct. This being said, it is recommended you invest in a strong fence that will stand no less than 6 feet, after you have buried the bottom part, one or two feet into the ground, if you do not want your Siberian Husky to wander away. Try to keep you pet busy; Siberian Huskies are known the get destructive when bored, so don’t give them a chance to ruin your stuff. Siberian Huskies also seem to have a penchant for stealing food, especially during the colder months of the year, so if you do not want your Siberian Husky to further develop this aspect, try not to let it unsupervised in the kitchen.

Consider sterilizing your Siberian Husky to prevent the spread of bad genes, unwanted litters, and the increase of the dog population, especially in the case of Siberian Huskies who are known to escape and wander. Careless breeding has produced health and temperament problems which are uncommon to the breed standard. Avoid buying a puppy from a pet store or puppy mill; if that puppy has temperament or personality issues, you might find it is more difficult than it should to train it overall.

Siberian Huskies are considered to be relatively healthy dogs, however, some problems are known to plague this Siberian Husky breed. These diseases are: thyroid deficiency, zinc deficiency, progressive retinal atrophy, cataracts, corneal disorders and hip dysplasia. All this ties back in with the fact you should try to avoid pet stores and greedy / irresponsible breeders who are only selling puppies for profit. These places will try to lure you to buy Siberian Husky puppies with AKC registration papers and even a health guarantee. The problem with this is that it has no value if the parents of the puppies were not screened and tested for hip dysplasia, thyroid issues and progressive retinal atrophy. Be careful of such places.

Other than these “minor” inconveniences, a Siberian Husky is not a difficult to care for breed. It requires daily brushing if the owner does not want to have dog hair all over the place, especially during the time periods when a Siberian Husky is shedding abundantly, usually once a year. This is a process that generally takes two to three weeks and you can help it somewhat by giving your Siberian Husky dog a warm bath; that should help loosen the hair so you can get rid of more when you’re brushing it. Like any other dog living indoors all year long, a Siberian Husky will most likely shed his coat throughout the year, especially if living in a drier climate.

Your Siberian Husky may make noise as its way of communication to you when your Siberian Husky is lonely or bored. Your Siberian Husky may howl to seek attention from you. However excessive howling can irritate therefore, training your Siberian Husky not to howl or make noise is of utmost importance. There are a few simple solutions to solve this problem:

For the first few days, try to ignore your Siberian Husky when he/she goes into a howling fit for no apparent reason as any attention will reinforce the behavior. Praise your Siberian Husky when he becomes quiet

Do praise and reward your Siberian Husky immediately after it stops making noises and not ten minutes after. Your Siberian Husky will not understand the reason for the discipline.

Do use a squirt gun to spray water on your Siberian Husky if excessive howling persists. This is to disrupt its behavior and your Siberian Husky will associate howling as an unpleasant experience.

Do use an anti bark collar for further training whenever you are not around and your Siberian Husky is not fully train yet so as to be thoughtful to thy neighbors.

What if your Siberian Husky digs constantly and is destroying the yard?

It is the nature of the Siberian Husky to dig cooling holes to lie in. One method that has worked on preventing Siberian Husky from digging holes is to provide your Siberian Husky an area in your yard in which he is allowed, even encouraged, to dig and train him to dig there. A sand-box, of sorts, with soft cool dirt with an occasional dog treat buried there can work.

Is Siberian Husky mischievous?

Yes and no. Despite their affectionate nature, Siberian husky dogs are very intelligent dogs and are not as subservient and eager to please their owners as some other popular breeds. Husky will often do things that surprise his owners. A Siberian Husky can get into things that one might think are impossible. When Siberians are bored, they can become quite mischievous, inventive, and destructive. This is typical of working dogs. This is why it is so important to include the Husky in family activities and give him plenty of attention and exercise.

How to Train Siberian Husky

To begin training your Siberian Husky, you must be ready for the unexpected. Your Siberian Husky’s strong will and independent nature can pose a challenge when you try to teach your Husky basic obedience and behavior training. Thus, proper Siberian Husky training will require you to be patient and persistent.

Regarding dental dog treats, Greenies dog treats are good for Siberian Husky. Make sure to get the proper Greenie size for your dog. In addition, supervise your dog’s initial chewing sessions to make sure that they do not swallow large pieces of the dental dog treat.

Please Note that rawhide dog treats are not a good dental dog treat for Siberian Husky. Many dogs can tear off fairly large chunks of the rawhide, and if swallowed, these chunks may become a choking hazard. They may also block the digestive system and cause infection. Rawhide pieces may absorb water and expand in your dog’s stomach, causing further digestive issues.

Here’s some fun animal news. In 2007, more than 50 dogs took part in the dog surfing contest, “Surf Dog Surf-a-Thon“ in Oceanside, CA. Los Angels Times says “While the contest is open to all dogs, experience has shown than shorter-legged ones have a better chance at balancing on a surfboard. A Great Dane was game last year but just too tall. Huskies and golden retrievers have done well. Bandit the Boston terrier and the pit bull Lucy (who surfs facing backwards) are among the veterans scheduled to be back.” Look at the four-footed surfer, Siberian Husky! Cool~